Tenn. county library accepts food in lieu of fines

BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. -- If you borrowed a book from the Sullivan County Public Library but don't remember where you left it, try taking a look in the kitchen cabinet.

This week, the county's public library system will accept canned goods, pet supplies and school supplies in lieu of lost materials such as books and videocassettes.

"We're trying to help people clean up their accounts and help the community at the same time," said Amy Lippo, the county library system's assistant director.

Lippo said the library's list of outstanding books, videocassettes and other materials amounts to about $60,000 worth of inventory. Many patrons with overdue items have had their library accounts frozen and are unable to use the system's resources until these materials are returned.

"Things happen and [some materials] get lost," said Lippo, who understands because she has lost a few library books herself.

County librarians have been accepting donations in lieu of books since July 1. Patrons who want to take part in the program must come by the library system's main branch to work out some type of fair trade with its staff.

The Bristol Public Library has had a similar program in place for the past few years, said Jud Barry, that system's executive director. During Christmastime, Barry said, the city system lets people donate canned goods in lieu of library fines.

"It's just something we've done in the past and would love to do again," Barry said. The library usually collects $3,000 in overdue fines each month, he said.

So far, Sullivan County's program has not yielded the results library staff had hoped it would, Lippo said. But it has gotten a number of folks thinking about overdue books, and those people have somehow been finding what they thought was lost.

"We've had things come back that were due in 2007," Lippo said. She estimates the program has netted $500 worth of donations and overdue books since July 1.

Regardless of its failure or success, everything related to the county's trade-in program ends Friday. That's when Lippo has promised to start a collections process against the most egregious overdue material holders.

Mac McLean is a staff writer for the Bristol Herald Courier.